Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh. Come on People, wake up to that reality! If I owned Yugioh...well...I wouldn't really be saying, "I don't Yugioh", now would I?

You Won't Be Alone

Ryou Bakura kicked a rock along the sidewalk on the way back home. It was Christmas Eve, and he had chosen to go for a walk to clear his mind. Ryou shivered at the cold air in his thin jacket as a couple of snowflakes clung to his long white hair. His large brown eyes swept around at the passersby as his shoes crunched in the snow. He wasn't sure what it was about winter that he liked. It was cold and desolate except for the few people finishing up their Christmas shopping.

Ryou passed by a bakery and breathed in the warm inviting smell of cinnamon buns and cakes. He wasn't sure what he wanted for Christmas. He thought about getting new Duel Monster cards, or that new book on Egyptian history that he had his eye on. Ryou now noticed that he was outside the bookstore. The Egyptian book sat in the front window, the cover a gold color. In the very center was an eye with a red gem in the middle. It was labeled "The Complete History of Egypt"

Ryou shivered, but it wasn't due to the cold. The eye reminded him of his Millennium Ring. He was wearing it under his jacket now, the spirit of the Millennium Ring still lingering in the back of his mind. He wondered how it would feel about Christmas. Ryou didn't like the idea of being controlled on Christmas. The ring spirit was pretty much a Grinch around this time of year.

He soon found himself passing the arcade. It made him think of Yugi and the others. Yugi was probably spending a quiet Christmas with his grandfather and the pharaoh. Ryou wondered what the pharaoh thought of Christmas. Ryou could imagine Yugi explaining the concept of giving and receiving gifts to it, and now he could imagine the pharaoh giving a gift to Yugi. The spirit of the ring would merely laugh when Ryou told it what Christmas was.

Or they would get together with Tristan, Joey, and Tea and hang out somewhere. Laughing, showing off Christmas presents, having a good time. Ryou sighed as he headed home to his apartment. He was somewhat excited, as Tou-san would be coming home that night for Christmas from his trip in Cairo. So when he arrived at the apartment, he found that his father wasn't home. Deciding that he was just late, Ryou took his coat off and hung it in the coat closet.

The phone suddenly rang. Ryou picked up and answered, "Ryou Bakura, who might this be?"

"Hey there son."

"Tou-san?"

"Gomen, but my flights been delayed. I won't be able to get home until tomorrow evening."

"But tomorrow is Christmas!"

"I'm really sorry Ryou, I'm trying to get home as fast as possible."

"Oh. Ok. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright. Love you."

"Love you too." Ryou said as he hung up the phone. He sighed as he collapsed into a chair. So now he was going to be alone on Christmas Eve and most of tomorrow. He then decided to just go to bed early so that tomorrow would come faster, when the phone started ringing again. Curiously, Ryou picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Bakura?" came the voice on the other end.

"Yugi-kun?"

"Hai. So did your dad come? You were telling me earlier that he would be coming back for Christmas."

"...No. His flight was delayed so he won't be coming."

"Gomen nasai."

"You don't have to be sorry Yugi. It's ok."

There was a pause. And then...

"Do you want to come spend Christmas with me? That way you won't be alone?" Yugi asked.

"Oh Yugi, you don't have to, I'll be fine..."

"Are you sure?"

"Hai."

"Well, if you say so..."

Ryou listened, as Yugi was about to hang up. He then quickly made a split-second decision.

"Matte!"

"Nani?"

"Umm...I wouldn't be a burden, would I?" Ryou asked.

"It's ok, I already asked jii-chan and he said it was ok." Yugi said.

"What about...you know, the pharaoh?"

"He'll behave."

"I can't say the same for my ring spirit."

"Don't worry about it. We can handle it." Yugi said confidently.

"Arigato Yugi-kun."

"See you soon." Yugi said as he hung up. Ryou hung the phone up and pulled his coat on. He prayed that his ring spirit wouldn't pop up and ruin this.

Ryou arrived at the card shop a few moments later, shaking snow out of his hair while holding onto a gift for Yugi under his jacket. Now as he stood in front of the door, knowing Yugi, he might have gotten duel monster cards for Bakura. Ryou fingered his gift under his jacket as he rang the doorbell. The door opened to reveal Yugi standing in the doorway, a decorative Christmas bauble attached to the tallest point of his spiky tri-colored hair.

"Hey, you made it!"

"Hello Yugi." Ryou said as he stepped inside past Yugi, the little bauble tinkling as Yugi shut the door. The card shop was decorated with holly and wreaths and a Christmas tree covered with tinsel and lights stood in the corner of the room. Ryou saw some ornaments of duel monsters on the tree. As he went over to look, Yugi watched him.

/Aibou, is it really ok to have Bakura over?/

/I don't see a problem with it.../

/But what if the Millennium Ring spirit decides to stir trouble?/

/Quit worrying Yami./

The night went pretty smoothly, the spirits thankfully not making any appearances, the two of them talked about school and laughed about something Joey did the other day while Ryou tried the meal that Yugi made for Christmas, finding that Yugi was pretty good at cooking had surprised him a bit. They stayed up pretty late, and now it was almost midnight. They had both agreed to try to stay up until Christmas came.

"Yugi..."

"Yeah?"

"Can I...give you my gift early?" Ryou asked. They were sitting in front of a window, their elbows on the sill looking out at the snowy city of Domino.

"If you want to..."

Ryou reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a present. "I figured that you and the Pharaoh would find this enjoying."

Yugi tore the wrapping paper off to see a book labeled "The Kings of Egypt" on the cover. His large purple eyes even wider now, Yugi immediately thumbed through the book and saw highly detailed pictures and stories about the pharaohs of Egypt.

"Arigato Bakura! I have a gift for you too."

Ryou held out a hand, waiting to feel the cards. Instead, Yugi handed him a wider, thicker wrapped object. Ryou raised an eyebrow as he delicately tore the wrapping off to reveal a gold covered book with an eye on it.

"It's the Egyptian book I wanted..." he breathed.

"Yeah, you told us at school how you wanted it..."

Ryou ran a finger over the gem in the middle of the eye. Somewhere in the house, the clock chimed midnight.

"Merry Christmas Yugi-kun."

"Merry Christmas Ryou."

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